As if fighting Covid-19 on the front lines with minimal personal protective equipment isn’t enough?
Now we are getting shot at by our own citizens?! Restaurants and grocery stores are refusing to serve us?
One employee wearing scrubs was punched in the face on her way home from her shift. All because the angry man next to her thought she might infect him with the coronavirus.
That employee doesn’t even work with coronavirus patients.
Just a few short weeks ago, front line healthcare workers were being praised for continuing to work in an unthinkable environment.
My how the tables have turned.
The Generosity Felt Nice. Awkward but Nice.
Along came Covid-19. Suddenly, people were thanking us just for doing our jobs. There was a viral video of an EMS worker who exited her home to a round of public applause from her neighbors as she left for work.
For the first few weeks of the pandemic, the general public was grateful for the long shifts healthcare staff was working.
But before you could say “shelter in place” it turned to violence and hatred.
The Ignorance of Hatred
This article was spurred after reading a Facebook post where an Xray Tech commented:
“Are any of you guys getting harassed? Here in NM people in scrubs aren’t allowed in certain restaurants..”
An Xray Tech replied:
” A friend of mine was just told to leave a store and the reasoning was that she was wearing scrubs. “
Yet another Xray Tech replied:
“I got sprayed with Lysol at the gas pumps. 😞 I thanked them and told them I haven’t even started my shift yet.”
Remember:
Healthcare Workers Can Be Proactive
Don’t wear your scrubs outside of the hospital. Some hospitals already have this policy in place, others do not.
Usually the policy is to reduce theft of blue operating room scrubs. Back in the day, we all wore the blue scrubs and had a decent pile of them at home.
We can all admit they are hella comfortable.
We laundered them and wore them regularly. Then the clamp-down came from the administration that it was costing too much money to keep replacing the blue scrubs.
Now we’re asked to wear our street clothes to work and change before our shifts start. Then change back to street clothes after our shift is over.
It makes sense to follow this protocol whether your hospital has adopted the policy or not.
It keeps you from dragging home germ-laden scrubs and tracking the germs through your house.
I have always been a proponent of having a pair of dedicated work shoes for the same reason.
Leave those nasty things in the change room at work. And make sure they are wipe-able and not mesh so they can be properly disinfected on a regular basis.
“But I have to provide my own scrubs so they have to come home to get laundered.”
Fine. Bag them.
But now you have a reason beside keeping the germs at work for changing clothes. Haters are covid-bashing healthcare workers, simply because they are wearing scrubs.
Don’t be that Tech. Stay safe. Change at work.
